Tube display carton

ABSTRACT

An improved carton for storing and displaying squeeze tubes, made from foldable paperboard or other sheet-like material having a transverse cut across the upper end of the front panel with the lower section formed into two shadow panels with an opening in the middle to receive a squeeze tube. The shadow panels are tapered toward the center at the bottom of the carton to retain the squeeze tube in the carton, and a novel support tab is provided which has back-to-back V-shaped cuts therein which facilitate loading the tube into the carton to prevent crimping and breaking of the paperboard during insertion of the tube into the carton.

' United States Patent 11 1 Roccaforte NOV. 4, 1975 TUBE DISPLAY CARTON[75] Inventor: Harry I. Roccaforte, Western 21 App]. No.2 537,315

[52] US. Cl. 206/277; 206/45.14; 206/45.31; 206/491 [51] Int. Cl. B65D85/14; B65D 5/52 [58] Field of Search 229/16 D; 206/45.l4, 45.19,206/45.31, 277, 429, 491, 434

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,374,006 4/1945 Freel et a1229/16 D 2,983,368 5/1961 Vander Lugt, Jr... 206/45.l4 3,083,825 4/1963Larsen 206/434 3,302,778 2/1967 McGorty et a1. 206/45.14 3,378,1374/1968 Stone 206/45.14 3,379,305 4/1968 Stone 206/45.l4

3,419,133 12/1968 Stone 206/45.l4 3,669,253 6/1972 l-lanko 229/16 D3,687,279 8/1972 Stone 206/45.19 3,750,870 8/1973 Cote 206/45.14

Primary ExaminerWilliam 1. Price Assistant ExaminerBruce H. BernsteinAttorney, Agent, or FirmJerry F. Best [57] ABSTRACT An improved cartonfor storing and displaying squeeze tubes, made from foldable paperboardor other sheetlike material having a transverse cut across the upper end'of the front panel with the lower section formed into two shadow panelswith an opening in the middle to receive a squeeze tube. The shadowpanels are tapered toward the center at the bottom of the carton toretain the squeeze tube in the carton, and a novel support tab isprovided which has back-to-back V-shaped cuts therein which facilitateloading the tube into the carton to prevent crimping and breaking of thepaperboard during insertion of the tube into the carton.

4 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures US. Patent N0v.4, 1975 Sheet 1 of2 3,917,064

US. Patent Nov. 4, 1975 Sheet 2 of2 3,917,064

asqueeze tube similar to that show'nin FIG? 1; I

able plastic tubes on the "rmiimarka. On'etyp'ical design is that inwhich theshadow'panels are Ltapei'edto-J'L gether so that when thesoireeze tube is loaded into the carton it is pushed beyond the openingcreate d'by the shadow panels and when the tube has a diameter" greaterthan this openingfihe'shado'w panel sserve to retain the tube inposition the cartonf ln those cartons which have a supportflapat thebottom of the shadow area which erves-"as a support and retaining meansfor the cap, there is a need for a design improvement which will preventthe adjacent areas of the 'carton from bending and-breaking andt'herefor'ehaving unsightly kink marks vi/hen'the squeeze tube is pushedinto position in the c'a'rtor'i from the front. The carton tends todeform during this loa'dingprocess and if the various parts are formedand designed with toomuch strength, the surrounding-areasgive w'ayandc'reate unsightly marks on the cartonf; i

SUMMARYQF.TIQHEINVENTIONA A shadow carton for use withstorin ganddisplaying deformable dispensing tu bes wherein the base of'the tube islocated behind a'portion of'the front panel and two vertically orientedshadow panels are'defineclby a transverse opening cut in the fro'ntpa-nel'to 'fbrm the uppenretaining sectio'm'an'd where-the shadow panelstaper together at the bottom .to provide a retaining means for the cap.andtube, an-"i'mproved cap support tab which is foldable inwardly'at-the bottom of'the opening defined by the shadow panels'which hasbackto-back V-shaped cuts .formed therein which serve to guide the capduring-the loadingprocess and insure that the tab will giveiway andrelease from:its attachments to the shadow panels prior to the time'thatany significant bending or kinking would. occur in the adjacent panelareas.

" BRIEF DESCRIPTION for THE DRAWINGS.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view-of a carton embodying the present inventionshown containing a-squeeze tube; FIG. 2 is a plan view ofablank adaptedto be erected into a carton similar to 'that shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation viewof a carton without -carton shown inFIG3. -t a ken along sec'ti'on line 5-5;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the lower portion of the carton shown inFIG. 3 illustrating how a squeeze tube is loaded andillustratingtheioperation'of the res ent invention;

FIG. isa sid eele vational section view through the middle of the cartonsh own iniFIG. 3 furtherillustrating the loading ofthe into the. cartonas in F IG, 6;

FIG. 8 is aside elevation section view illustrating the position ofthesqueeze tube in the cartonshown in FIG.1 taken along sectionline 8 8in FIG.: 1. I

DETAILED DESCRIPTION'OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT in thejpack a geconsists of a carton 10 whichis particularly adapted to hold a displaytube 11 whichihas fitted on one end thereof a cap I; as seen bestinFIGS. (and 8 The cap 12 is formed with a circ ula rrecess on theoutside thereof 13 whose usewill be described later. I g v M I Theblankshowmii FIG, Z is'typi' caI of the blank from which such' cartonmay,be made, and is norm ally fabricated from folda'ble paperboardorsimilar sheetlike material and includesa back panel 14, side panels 15and 1 6,'and"any conventional means for closing the cartonsuch as amanufacturers glue flap 17. A front panel shown generally as 18completes the panel array and winfbe" described in more detail later.The top of" the carton blank includies conventional c'losu r e fla psfiand "as shownineludes a main min-ab 19 hingedly nected along the foldline ZO'to t Iie b ack panel 14 faii d" is formed in size substa ntiallyequal :to th'e'areaof the top e'ndof the cartonl'tl; flap 2l'i ishi'rigedly attached t0 thetbf) 113F319 by a fold T e 22' afldaddispe'ctively, whichmay be folded ttigefh'erto effect 'a completeclosure. The fr'o n't'fpanel 1Q ofit'he-"aitm T0 is divided into upperand lower sectio n 'riu'mbe'red 1 8a and 18b by a transverse line cut 2swliich' eitteri'ds horizontallyacross the front panel 18 and into theside panels 15 'and 16 in orderto for'ma pairbfinwar'dly m ov ableshadown pane ls'26 and"27 oneither lateralside ofthelciwer'sectior'r"18b;- 1 I panels of'the ca'r'tonbla'nkare joined by'vertical hinge lines 2'8,"29, 30 and3l which allow'tha'blank to befoldedi'nto tubular relationship'.The ve rticalfold lines 30 and 31 alsoprovide the inwardly movable shadow panes] 26 and 27 in the front panel18b with the-ability to'move inwardly since the transverse line'cut 25e)(- tends into the sidepanels 15 and 16, and may be facilitated by adownwardly extending'portion 25a-."The shadow panels26 and-'27 areconnected by a short fold line 32 which is"p'ositioned above an opening33 for're ceiving the squeezeltube which-is formed in the front panel18b in sucha manner that it extends downwardlyto the bottom edge of thefront panel. This opening 33 can be'seen to-be' defined by theinsideedges of the "shadow panels 26 and-27 and these edges taper inwardlytoward the bottom of the front panel 18b to as-, sistin-holding thesqueeze tube 11 in position as will be material toprevent the areadefined'thereby from being removed. The sides ofthe cap support tab:35are joined I to the inner edges of the shadow panels 26. and 27 withnicks 44 to hold the tab 35 in position during automatic folding of thecarton prior to loading of the tube 11.

Attached to the bottom of the front panel 18b along the hinge line 34 isa first bottom closure flap 39 which substantially covers the bottom endof the carton in its final folded position and which has a tuck-in flap40 which is attached along the hinge line 41 which, in conjunction withthe bottom closure flaps extending from the side panels and 16 which areshown as 42 and 43 provide an effective closure for the carton 10. Itcan be seen that the extensions of the bottom fold line 34 into the sidepanels 15 and 16 are angled slightly upward, and the reason for this isso that when a large tube is to be displayed in a small carton whichwill cause significant deformation of the side panels 15 and 16 byvirtue of the shadow panels 26 and 27 being moved inwardly, that such anangle position will result in a square end in the final assembledpackage eliminating any distortion which might otherwise occur.

As shown in FIG. 1 the tube 11 is placed in the carton with theflattened crimped end retained behind the top portion of the front panel180 and with the end of the tube 11 that has the cap 12 further back inthe bottom of the carton. In FIG. 3 it can be seen how the shadow panels26 and 27 bend inwardly about the fold line 32 so that the crimped endof the tube may be inserted behind the top of the front panel 18a duringthe loading process. FIG. 4 also illustrates how a portion of the sidepanels 15 and 16 are moved inwardly because of the crimped or cutdownward extensions A of the transverse line cut 25 FIG. 5 illustratesthe position of the cap support tab in its downwardly folded positionagainst the bottom panel of the carton 39.

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 illustrate the operation of the present invention andillustrate how when the tube 11 is loaded into the carton 10 the forwardfacing V-shaped cut 38 acts to guide the tube cap 12 and keep itcentered while the force exerted by the cap 12 on the cap support tab 35ruptures the nicks along the sides of the tab 35, which are shown as 44.These nicks 44 are necessary to retain the support tab 35 in positionparallel to the adjacent shadow panels 26 and 27 while the can ton blankis being folded and assembled on automatic equipment. Then when the tube11 is being loaded by hand these nicks 44 must be broken so that thesupport tab 35 will assume the position shown in FIG. 8. These V-shapedcuts 38 and 37 insure that the rapid manual loading procedure does notresult in the cap being pressed off-center thereby causing bending andkinking of one of thw two shadow panels 26 and 27 they also insure thatthe support tab 35 is flexed to put pressure on the nicks sequentiallyso that they may be broken individually rather than put a stress on thebottom panel of the carton 39 should the cap 12 be pressed against thesupport tab 35 and sufficient restraining force be exerted to preventthe nicks 44 from rupturing singly thereby producing a kink or crease inthe bottom of the carton. The back edge 36 of the cap support tab 35 isfunctional in holding the cap 13 in position in the carton 10 as seen inFIG. 8 since it tends to move upwardly and engages the inner surface 13of the cap 12 where the cap is recessed. As previously mentioned aportion of the diameter of the tube 11 lies in back of the shadow panels26 and 27 so that these panels also hold the tube 11 in place. Thissupport tab design increases the rate at which cartons may be loaded anddecreases the liklihood that damage from creasing pr bending would occurduring the loading process.

In accordance with the Patent Statutes, I have described the principlesof construction and operation of my improvement in TUBE DISPLAY CARTON;and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodi= ment thereof,I desire to have it understood that'obvious changes may be made withinthe scope of the fol lowing claims without departing from the spirit ofmy invention. i

I claim:

1. In a carton adapted for holding and displaying squeeze tubes and thelike, said carton made from foldable paperboard or similar sheet-likematerial and hav' ing a rear panel, side panels, top and bottom closureflaps, as well as upper and lower sections in said front panel definedby a horizontal line out in said front an improved cap support tab meansfor facilitating loading of said tube into said carton and retainingsaid tube and cap within said carton, comprising an inwardly foldablecap support tab made of said paperboard and hingedly attached to a firstof said bottom closure flaps, said tab positioned between said shadowpanels in the front of said carton and adapted to be folded inwardlyupon placing said tube into said carton;

said tab having formed therein a front facing V- shaped cut; and saidtab also having formed in theedge opposite said first bottom closureflap a section of a circle adapted to engage said recess in said cap.

2. The carton in claim 1, including a second V- shaped cut formed insaid tab, said second cut facing rearward and adjacent said front facingcut, and separated therefrom.

3. In a blank made from foldable paperboard orsimilar sheet-likematerial and adapted to be folded into a carton for holding anddisplaying squeeze tubes having a recessed cap or the like, said blankincluding a sub stantially rectangular piece of said paperboard havingtop, bottom and side edges; I

four vertically oriented parallel fold lines spaced between the sideedges of said blank defining a front panel, a rear panel, side panels,said panels adapted to be folded into rectangular tube-likeconfiguration; top and bottom closure flaps hingedly connected to saidpanels along parallel hinge lines arranged perpendicular to said firstmentioned vertical hinge lines; said front panel having formed therein ahorizontal line cut defining upper and lower sections in said frontpanel;

said lower front panel section including a pair of inwardly movableshadow panels on either lateral side of said lower section;

said shadow panels defining in said lower section a tube receivingopening extending to the lower edge of said front panel;

an improved cap support tab means adapted to facilitate loading one ofsaid tubes into a fully erected carton to retain said tube and capwithin said carton, comprising:

a hingedly connected cap support tab made of said paperboard andattached along said bottom hinge line to a first of said bottom closureflaps, said tab 10 cut formed in said tab, said second cut facingupwardly and adjacent to said downward facing cut. and separatedtherefrom.

1. In a carton adapted for holding and displaying squeeze tubes and thelike, said carton made from foldable paperboard or similar sheet-likematerial and having a rear panel, side panels, top and bottom closureflaps, as well as upper and lower sections in said front panel definedby a horizontal line cut in said front panel; said lower front panelsection including a pair of inwardly movable shadow panels on eitherlateral side of said lower section; said shadow panels defining in saidlower section a tubereceiving opening extending to the lower edge ofsaid front panel; said carton adapted to hold a squeeze tube having arecessed cap at the bottom of said carton and the crimped end of saidsqueeze tube retained in position between said upper and lower sectionsin said front panel; an improved cap support tab means for facilitatingloading of said tube into said carton and retaining said tube and capwithin said carton, comprising: an inwardly foldable cap support tabmade of said paperboard and hingedly attached to a first of said bottomclosure flaps, said tab positioned between said shadow panels in thefront of said carton and adapted to be folded inwardly upon placing saidtube into said carton; said tab having formed therein a front facingV-shaped cut; and said tab also having formed in the edge opposite saidfirst bottom closure flap a section of a circle adapted to engage saidrecess in said cap.
 2. The carton in claim 1, including a secondV-shaped cut formed in said tab, said second cut facing rearward andadjacent said front facing cut, and separated therefrom.
 3. In a blankmade from foldable paperboard or similar sheet-like material and adaptedto be folded into a carton for holding and displaying squeeze tubeshaving a recessed cap or the like, said blank including a substantiallyrectangular piece of said paperboard having top, bottom and side edges;four vertically oriented parallel fold lines spaced between the sideedges of said blank defining a front panel, a rear panel, side panels,said panels adapted to be folded into rectangular tube-likeconfiguration; top and bottom closure flaps hingedly connected to saidpanels along parallel hinge lines arranged perpendicular to said firstmentioned vertical hinge lines; said front panel having formed therein ahorizontal line cut defining upper and lower sections in said frontpanel; said lower front panel section including a pair of inwardlymovable shadow panels on either lateral side of said lower section; saidshadow panels defining in said lower section a tube receiving openingextending to the lower edge of said front panel; an improved cap supporttab means adapted to facilitate loading one of said tubes into a fullyerected carton to retain said tube and cap within said carton,comprising: a hingedly connected cap support tab made of said paperboardand attached along said bottom hinge line to a first of said bottomclosure flaps, said tab extending upwardly and positioned between saidshadow panels at the lower end of said tube receiving opening in saidfront panel; said tab having formed therein a V-shaped cut facing saidhinge line; and said tab also having formed on the top edge thereof asection of a circle adapted to engage said recess in said cap.
 4. Theblank of claim 3, including a second V-shaped cut formed in said tab,said second cut facing upwardly and adjacent to said downward facingcut, and separated therefrom.